


The Box

by Elenhin



Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2013-10-20
Packaged: 2017-12-29 22:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1011081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elenhin/pseuds/Elenhin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ty is packing a box, as full of memories and pain as it is of items. </p>
<p>Inspired by the One Word At A time by Aramirandme81 By one of the lines based on the word Box. This line struck me, and I had to dig deeper into it to see what I could find. It is fully inspired by this wonderful one-line at a time sort of story, and the last line in the story is the line it came from.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Box

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by the One Word At a Time, by Aramirandme81. The last line in the story is the line that gave me the idea, and while this story is not the truth behind it, it could be seen as 'a' story behind it. Call it what you like, my aim is to please and entertain. 
> 
> Anyone enjoying this, who has not done so already, should read the One Word At a Time, it's a great piece of writing, and I'm very grateful to have been allowed to play with it. 
> 
> Now please enjoy the story, Elenhin

The Box

The pencil case rattles as Ty picks it up, it’s amusing in a way because the case is a simple metal case with pictures from some cartoon movie. Ty isn’t quite sure which one, it’s not something he ever watched but he knows that Axl used to love it. Axl loved watching the movie with Anders because Anders would indulge him in a way Mike and Ty never did. Axl wanted Anders to make his own inputs into the movie, he’d ask questions and Anders would answer them. Usually the most outrageous answers, and it always made Axl laugh.

_* “Why did the monster eat him?” Axl asked, wide innocent eyes turned up at Anders._

_“Cause they were out of cupcakes.” Anders shrugged, one eye on the movie and the other on the papers in his lap._

_“Anders,” Axl poked his brother in the side, causing him to draw a line completely the wrong way. “Why did they go in there?”_

_“They were looking for the door, because they found a key in the cupcake, it was a chinese fortune cupcake you see. They got shit like that in them. Like fortune cookies have fortunes in them, and if there’s a key, there has to be a door, but they can’t find it.”_

_“Why?” Axl asked, marvelling over how much his brother knew._

_“Because they dropped it into the cupcake mixture, and now they don’t know which cupcake it’s in, so they have to eat all the cupcakes until they find the door.”_

_“Oh,” to Axl, it made sense. *_

The case was a cheap one Axl had bought Anders once for his birthday, because Anders used to like to draw. That was what had amused Ty, that he had those special pencils in a crappy and dented cartoon case. Anders who loved to show off that for once he had the good stuff, but Axl had given it to him and that meant Anders was going to use it.

He picks up a keyring and drops it into the box, Anders had somehow talked Valerie into letting Ty go along on a school trip. She had been very firmly against it both because of the cost and because she didn’t consider Ty to be old enough. How Anders had convinced her he never knew, because really Anders first school trip like that hadn’t gone very well and Valerie had been so mad about it. She had yelled at him, and tried to ground him. Mike hadn’t been happy either, but Ty thought he really wasn’t very surprised. He knew that Anders had been drinking beer long before he was old enough, and he had done so on the trip to. He still didn’t know the details, but when they called Mike they hadn’t been happy and Anders had been mad too.

In spite of it he had talked Valerie into letting Ty go, and he had been having a great time. It was so good to be away from home for a bit, and to be along for once and not miss out on what the rest of the class did. He had wanted to bring back Anders something as thanks, but he had spent a little more than he had planned to, so in the end the keyring was all he could afford.

Anders had grinned, thanked him, and hung it on the wall with a pin as if he really liked it.

_* “You would’ve done better spending the money on beer bro,” Anders grinned as he pushed the pin into the wall and hung the keyring on it. “But thanks I guess, glad someone here appreciates me.” *_

He packed up the book Mike had bought the last time Anders was really sick. It was so typical, Anders always got sick a lot more than the rest of them. Mike used to tease him and say they couldn’t let it rain on him or he’d get pneumonia and die. Ty used to think it was funny, but it wasn’t so much fun after it pretty much happened that way. They went to the park as a family, because it was almost winter and there wouldn’t be many more fine days. So Mike decided they should make the most of it and Ty helped Valerie make a picnic lunch to bring along. Anders hadn’t taken a jacket with him though, because it was really Axl’s old jacket. Even if he was much younger he had grown so much that his old clothes was going to Anders, and the blond hated that.

When it started to rain and Mike realized Anders only had a shirt, he had tried to give him his jacket, and it had almost worked.

_* Anders had his hand out to take the jacket from Mike, shivering lightly already and wearing a sheepish smile on his face. He knew it had been a little foolish, but he really hated reminders that he was so small he inherited his baby brother’s outgrown clothing._

_“That is so typical of you,”Valerie snorted. “I told you all to bring jackets. Why don’t you ever listen.”_

_“I’m old enough to decide if I want a jacket or not,” Anders stated firmly, his jaw set and his hand dropping to his side._

_“Obviously not, even Axl has sense to do what he’s told,” Valerie stated. “And I’m sick of you never listening and then whining and complaining. Mike shouldn’t have to save you just because you’re too lazy.”_

_“Anders is more susceptible than me Val,” Mike tried to smooth it over. “I’m warm enough, and it didn’t look like it was going to rain.” He held out the jacket to Anders again, but now the blond refused to take it._

_“I don’t need anyone to save me,” he declared stubbornly. “And I don’t whine.”_

_“Anders, it’s getting chilly, and you’re more likely to catch a cold than I am,” Mike had tried, but Anders refused. *_

There was still a marker in the book, somewhere in the middle. It was as far as he had gotten because Anders was perhaps not all that much for reading. He got bored if too little happened and his attention would stray away from the book. It had to be something really exciting to grip him if he was to read more. It was also why he would often draw while watching movies, and do his homework with Axl and Ty.

Reading a book was a little harder even if he tried, but he was tired and though Ty offered to read it to him he declined.

_* Don’t you have anything better to do?” Anders demanded, dropping the book on his bedside table._

_“Not really,” Ty shrugged. It was stupid, but he didn’t like leaving Anders alone when he was sick. Not after the time he was sick and nearly choked to death. Valerie didn’t like how much time he spent with Anders when he was ill and she always tried to get him to leave his brother. Her usual argument was that Ty would catch it, but pneumonia wasn’t catching that way, and Ty was worried. None of them had been surprised when Anders started sneezing and coughing the day after they got back from the park. Mike just sighed tiredly and decided it was best to stock up on cough syrup. Valerie was annoyed and told the blond she didn’t feel sorry for him at all and wouldn’t take any whining from him._

_It was Ty who noticed it was worse than a cold first, but then he shared a room with Anders after all. It was a lot easier for his big brother to hide it from Valerie and Mike, but Ty knew and told Mike so that he took him to the doctor, and then Anders had to stay in bed. Mike at least felt sorry for him and bought him the book to pass the time. *_

He packs up some other small odd items, an old rubber cricket ball Anders bought when they were teaching Axl to play and Anders was worried about the hard ball breaking his fingers. A bunch of baseball cards held together by a rubber band. Anders would trade them in school, until he got a more valuable one, and then he’d sell it. He packed up the old cap gun Anders had really only kept because Axl loved to play cowboy and sometimes Anders would indulge him. Anders used to do that, he’d be horse and let both Axl and Ty ride on his back. Until the two of them grew too big for it and Mike made them stop. Because back then Anders never really said no to them, ever.

There was a baseball cap, still almost new because caps had never been Anders’ style but he wore one after they had cut a tuft of his hair away for a row of stitches. Ty was pretty sure their family was the only one where a friendly game of chess would result in stitches, but then Axl was a really poor loser and Anders had been in a bad mood.

_* Axl came running into the kitchen where Ty was helping Mike and Valerie cook. It was mostly he and Valerie who cooked because he enjoyed it and so didn’t mind helping at all. Valerie was pleased to teach him and it was nice to spend that time with her he thought. Axl had recently developed an interest to learn to play chess since a boy in his class had won some prize doing it. Anders who was the better player of the family had been ordered to teach him but Ty was wondering if it was really a good idea. Axl could be a really sore loser, no matter what game they played. If he thought they were letting him win he got mad, and if he didn’t win he still got mad, and Anders wasn’t the most diplomatic about it. He might let Axl win, but Axl could usually tell and they’d have a row._

_“Anders broke my hand!” Axl cried now, running to Mike and wrapping his arms around him._

_“What?” Mike looked down on him, trying to figure out what was going on._

_“Anders broke my hand, look!” Axl thrust his hand forward, showing a red slight swelling on his finger. Mike while doubting it was broken could see it might be painful._

_“Anders!” he snapped, stalking into the other room where he stopped. Anders sat on the floor, eyes squeezed shut and breathing shallowly. Blood was dripping from his hair and Mike was glad he wasn’t looking given his track record with blood._

_“What the hell is going on here?” he demanded. Axl was still wailing, claiming that Anders had broken his hand, and Anders wasn’t speaking. *_

Axl’s finger hadn’t been broken but suffered a sprain, he had got mad and struck Anders with the wooden box the chess pieces were kept in, catching his finger between the box and Anders’ head. Probably lucky for Anders Ty mused. It was a hard blow that caused him to need several stitches. He admitted to not having been the nicest to Axl, he hadn’t gloated when he won, but he had been short of patience and had forgotten to take Alx’s temper into consideration.

Mike had banned them from playing chess again until they could do so without killing one another. While Axl had shown off his finger to everyone in the hope of getting sympathy, Anders had worn the cap until the stitches were removed and his hair had grown out again.

He picked up a handmade Mothers’ Day card and smoothed out the slight crease before putting it in the box.

_* “We made these in school,” Axl thrust the card at Anders, so eager he didn’t care if he was crushing the corner of the card in his hand. Anders who was generally better at writing cards than his brothers took it and opened it to inspect it._

_‘I don’t care if George says you’re not a real mum, you’re still the best mum in the world, cause you do all the stuff real mums do, Love Axl.’_

_“That’s good Axl,” Anders smiled. There were a couple of spelling errors and a somewhat interesting message, but he figure Axl had done good. “You must have really worked hard on this.” He could tell, because there was hearts drawn on it, together with flowers, and Axl had used a liberal amount of glitter and other decorations._

_“Some of them didn’t,” Axl gave a small frown. “George didn’t, but he’s got his real mum, and he don’t understand it’s not so good when you don’t. He’s stupid, he’s got a great mum but he never thanks her for being good or anything.”_

_“Some kids are stupid,” Anders shrugged. “But this is good, Valerie will really like this.”_

_“Are you gonna show it to her?” Axl asked, sounding just a little surprised._

_“Hell no,” Anders shook his head. “You made it for her, so you give it to her. I bet she’ll be so happy she lets you have some cookies.”_

_“But I didn’t make it for her,” Axl frowned. “I made it for you.”_

_“What?” Anders blinked._

_“I made it for you,” Axl beamed. “She’s sort of mum too, so I made her a card too, but you were mum before she was, so I made yours first. You read me stories and make happy faces on my lunch and things. That’s a mum, isn’t it?” he asked and Anders nodded._

_“Yeah, I guess,” he managed._

_“You really are the best mum in the world,” Axl threw his arms around his brother, then he ran off to give Valerie another card. Anders stood confused, watching him before he shook his head lightly and took the card to their room. *_

Ty had been really glad when he saw Axl give Anders the card, because he thought Anders deserved it. Valerie had never really liked Anders much, and he didn’t like her. He didn’t like how hard Mike worked because of Valerie and Rob, and how little time he had left for Ty and Axl. he never really knew why Valerie didn’t like Anders, she really cared for himself and Axl, and he couldn’t see why Anders would be so different. Perhaps it was because Anders acted as if he didn’t really trust her to be good enough with the two of them. Anders would tell her how to make the food for Axl, but then Mike did the same, with all three of them. He would remind her that Axl didn’t like hard boiled egg, even in a pasta salad, and he’d point out that Ty really couldn’t stand the tuna casserole. Valerie didn’t appear to mind that, but she got mad whenever Mike reminded her that Anders was intolerant to something.

She’d forgotten a couple of times when Mike had not been there to remind her. Anders hadn’t realized as he ate, and neither had Ty. It was only afterwards when the reaction came that he realized what had been in the supper and knew why Anders was holding his stomach. It wasn’t so serious it was dangerous, but it made Anders sick. Valerie had never meant for it to happen and had been upset when she realized.

_* “I thought you might like some ice cream,” she stated softly as she entered the room Ty and Anders shared. The blond was doing better and could eat a little again, but he wasn’t hungry and didn’t want much. Ice cream usually worked though and was actually quite soothing for his stomach. Valerie had picked up one up from the ice cream shop in the mall, knowing it was Anders favorite. It was a little melted by the time she got home, but Anders smiled softly._

_“Yeah thanks,” he took it, eating slowly but able to enjoy it. *_

It was really an ice cream made for kids, with a painted face on the plastic cup and it had been sitting on Anders’ desk where he kept various small items in it.

Ty put it in the box.

The small box was still gift wrapped, and now a bit dusty as well so Ty blew off the dust. He and Axl had bought it together. It had been for Anders birthday but there hadn’t been time to give it to him in the morning. They had figured it could wait because they knew it wouldn’t matter to Anders if it was a day late. Anders didn’t like to have a lot of those cheap bright plastic toys in his fish tanks, but they had thought this one was good. A small copy of the Hobbit hole from the Lord of the Rings movie. The door and windows were open so it was a great place for the fish to swim in and hide. Some trees and bushes added to it made it look more tasteful than tacky and they had decided to get it for their brother. They had both grinned at how it could also be a joke about Anders being so small he really ought to live in a Hobbit hole.

They had thought it wouldn’t matter much if he didn’t get it on his actual birthday because really they would have more time the day after. There would be a party as it was his twenty first birthday, but the day after they had meant to have a family barbeque. They had figured they would give it to him then, only they never got the chance.

_* Ty had been old enough to attend the party, and Axl had been allowed to stay up long enough to drink an unhealthy amount of soda and eat himself half sick on crisps. Anders had urged that his siblings got to enjoy themselves at his party and Mike had been quick to give in._

_The ceremony in the woods hadn’t quite gone like he had wanted it too and Anders’ jacket catching fire had just been one of many things that went wrong. It wasn’t a big party either because Anders didn’t have many friends. It was mostly people who were at uni and whom he happened to get along with. People who didn’t much care for the reason as long as they were invited to a party._

_Valerie had argued against the party, saying it was too much work when it was just going to be drunken kids there, but both Mike and Ty had objected to that. Twenty firsts were important and they wouldn’t ignore that._

_Axl had fallen asleep in the lounge and been taken to bed by Mike who then went to look for Valerie. Ty hadn’t seen when he found her, but then Valerie was running from the room he shared with Anders, clutching her blouse closed while Mike slammed the door shut behind him as he entered. He knew he shouldn’t enter, but he had to know what was going on. His first thought that one of the guys from the party had tried to force himself on Valerie. Only when he pushed the door open it was Anders in there with Mike, and Anders wore only a pair of jeans._

_“You fucking pervert!” Mike shouted angrily at Anders who actually looked scared then Ty realized. He backed up against he wall as he saw Mike clench a fist. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”_

_“She wanted it Mike, she wanted it,” Anders mumbled. Ty could tell he was scared, he was scared, he had never seen Mike so angry but it reminded him of dad and the way he would get._

_“You fucking bastard, you just about raped her!” Mike spat, stepping up close to Anders._

_“The fuck I did,” Anders snapped. “She wanted it, even if neither one of you will admit it. Why the hell do you stay Mike? She doesn’t want you, she wants coma Rob,” he meant to continue, but then Mike punched him and Ty gasped. The four of them had thought a lot over the years. They’d argue and fight physically but Anders was never really one to strike first, and at some point he really stopped hitting back as well. Mike could usually control his temper so that he didn’t hit, but he had punched Anders a couple of times when he thought he was too far out of line._

_This was worse though, his fist hit Anders so hard it sent the smaller brother crashing into the wall. Mike grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, only to hit him again, and again, and Anders never even raised a hand to defend himself._

_Ty stood watching through the doorway, having backed out of the room but he could still see and he saw Anders on the floor with Mike standing over him, hitting him one last time without even pulling him fully to his feet._

_“Don’t you fucking move!” Mike snapped. “I’m not through with you yet, so don’t fuckign move!” he stormed out of the room, passing Ty without even seeing him. Slowly he crept into the room where Anders was on his back, moaning as he struggled to push himself up._

_“Anders?” Ty’s voice was barely a whisper. “Anders?”_

_The blond met his eyes before he dropped his head with a whimper and Ty rushed in to kneel beside him. Anders crying out as his brother grabbed him and Ty realized just how bad Mike had hurt him._

_“Go away Ty, Mike won’t be happy with you,” Anders managed but Ty shook his head._

_“What happened, why’s Mike doing this? What did you do Anders?” he demanded, clinging to his older brother. “He, he hit you.”_

_“It didn’t work Ty,” Anders half sobbed as he pushed himself up to lean against the wall. He couldn’t help whimper as he moved. “Get out now, before Mike gets back, pretend you didn’t see, yeah?”_

_“What did you do?” Ty clutched at his arm. He couldn’t believe Mike would hurt Anders like that. He couldn’t believe Anders would do something so horrible so that Mike would hurt him that badly._

_“Not what I meant to,” Anders mumbled. “Not what I meant,” he buried his face in his hands. Then he appeared to realized that he was bleeding and a choked sound escaped him as he struggled against the nausea. His t-shirt lay on the floor and he grabbed it, scrubbing madly at his hands to wipe the blood away._

_“Anders?” Ty whined. He was old enough to put it together. “Did, did you do ‘that’ to Valerie?” He was old enough to know that what he was thinking made him sick._

_“The fuck I did!” Anders snapped. “I didn’t do anything she didn’t want me to. But Mike’s a fucking idiot. He don’t get it, she don’t want him, she just want fucking coma Rob and Mike’s the next best thing. She thinks it makes her so great to play mum to you and Axl, but she’s not a mum, she doesn’t want us, but Mike’s too fucking daft to see it.”_

_“She wants us!” Ty objected. He couldn’t believe that what Anders said was true. His brother shifted and moaned._

_“Sure, she wants you and Axl, cute fucking babies, but she always treated me like shit. It’s not Mike she wants, why the hell won’t he see that?” Anders sniffed, moaning again when he moved._

_Ty reached out a shaky hand for him, Anders was still bleeding and he was scared. He wanted to make sure he was okay, but Anders flinched away from his hand. “Go away Ty, Mike’s gonna be pissed you saw this, please go away.”_

_“But, Anders,” he started, but then Mike was back and Anders pulled back, away from Ty with a gasp._

_“Get the fuck out of here!” Mike snapped, grabbing for Anders meaning to pull him to his feet. Anders let out a gasp again, flinching so violently from Mike that Ty let out a small yelp. Anders cowered away from Mike, his arms covering his head, like he sometimes would do before they moved, before Mike took over as dad._

_It made Mike stop, it made him pull back a little. “Get up, and get out of here!” he commanded._

_Anders pushed to his feet slowly, a little unsteady at first before he appeared to find his balance. “It won’t change anything Mike,” he stated, his arms wrapped around himself. “It won’t change a fucking thing.”_

_“You piece of shit!” Mike grabbed him, throwing him against the wall. “You worthless piece of shit! Get out and don’t ever come back!”_

_Anders swallowed hard as he straightened again, “you’re just like dad,” he stated quietly. “I’ll get out, cause the last thing I wanna see is you go the same way. You’re just like dad…”_

_Ty bit his lip as Mike took a step forward and this time Anders didn’t flinch away but Ty could see him tense and wait for the blow. He wasn’t about to stop it, or try and get away from it, instead he just waited for it._

_Mike didn’t hit him though, but grabbed his arm and half threw him towards the door. “Get the hell out and never show your face again.”_

_“I’ll come back for my fish Mike,” the blond stated. “Feed them Ty, he urged his brother, and tell Axl I’m sorry.” With a sad look towards Mike who stalked after him he headed towards the door and Ty was left behind, unable to believe what had happened. He looked towards the fish tank, and saw the clothes on the floor. The now bloodstained t-shirt, a pair of trainers and Anders’ socks. That was when he realized he only wore his jeans, not even shoes, and Mike had kicked him out. On his own birthday, without even his shoes._

_Feeling sick he hurried to Axl’s room, he couldn’t stand to sleep in his own that night. He couldn’t stand seeing all the things Anders had left behind, though he was very careful to feed the fish and take care of them because he knew Anders would come back for them like he had said. He thought when he did Mike would forgive him and tell him he could stay. *_

Putting the gift they had never had the chance to give him in the box Ty sighed. Anders had gone back for his fish, but no one had been home when he did. Ty just entered his room and found the fish tank and a lot of Anders clothes gone. He hadn’t said anything to Mike, but he knew.

Axl had been really upset by it and couldn’t quite understand, Valerie was furious and would hardly even let them mention Anders. She’d taken a couple of trash bags into their room to throw all his things away while Ty was at school but he got home in time to stop her from taking it all. He hadn’t been able to push Anders completely out of his life. He knew that what he had done was wrong, but he couldn’t imagine that Anders had lied to him. Maybe there was more going on, but he believed that when Anders said Valerie had wanted it, it was the truth. At least he knew it was what Anders thought was the truth, and if it wasn’t, then it was a mistake Anders hadn’t meant to make.

Anders could be a real jerk, and even if Ty loved him he knew that, but he’d never hurt anyone like that. That was one thing he would never doubt. Anders knew too much about getting hurt to hurt someone else that way, he just wouldn’t do that. Mike didn’t appear to know it though, and when Axl begged, pleaded and cried to get him to make Anders come back home Mike just wouldn’t lift a finger to do it. Instead he told Axl that Anders had made his own choice, and they shouldn’t waste time worrying about it. It made Ty mad that he appeared to be glad that Anders was gone, and for a while he wondered if maybe he shouldn’t go too.

He didn’t though, partially because that would mean leaving Axl, and partially because it still wouldn’t let him see Anders. He called his brother several times on his mobile, but he never answered. Perhaps he was afraid that Mike would be mad at Ty, he didn’t know, but he left several messages for him that Anders never replied to. It was like he had simply disappeared out of their lives and slowly Ty came to realize he would have to accept that.

All that really allowed him to see that Anders had been a part of them was the stuff in their room, and Valerie kept telling him to throw it out, but he wouldn’t. Still, there came a point when he had to face that keeping Anders things around won’t make Anders come back. That is why he is packing it up now, to move it out of their room and into the garage. He puts his name on the box though, because if he puts Anders, then Valerie will probably throw it away if she finds the box. She is constantly trying to get rid of bits and pieces of Anders already. Little things that he left behind. A drawing stuck on the fridge with Axl’s, a jacket in the closet and a picture from the wall. All little bits of Anders that disappeared one by one as Valerie just about tried to erase their brother out of their lives, and Ty didn’t care for it at all.

He misses Anders, just like Axl does, he misses him a lot and just wishes Mike would forgive him so he could come back home to them again. He wants those small pieces of Anders that Valerie has cleared away back again.

He doubts that his brother will stay away forever, but he knows he won’t come back before he’s ready, and he remembers the way Anders looked when Mike hit him. How scared and utterly dejected he appeared. As if the last one he trusted had suddenly turned on him, and Anders doesn’t trust easily, he knows that.

Anders won’t come back before he’s not scared anymore, he won’t come back before he’s ready to trust again.

It will probably take a long time before Anders is ready.

It has already been a long time to tell the truth, too long.

It’s been almost a year with no news at all so Ty sighs and closes the last box of things Anders left behind the night Mike threw him out.

The End


End file.
